Pizza is one of the most popular food items in the United States. Pizzas come in many different shapes and sizes, with virtually unlimited variation in the types of toppings, meats, vegetables, cheese, doughs/crusts and other ingredients used. Commercial pizza makers with national and international presence, especially pizza restaurants, typically select, develop and promote a number of different pizzas.
Once a pizza is prepared, pizza for take-out or delivery is typically cut and boxed for transport from the pizza restaurant. The pizza is typically cut on a cutting surface prior to placement of the pizza into the pizza box. Placement of each individual piece of pizza into the box with a spatula or other device would be time consuming. As a result, individual piece placement into a box would decrease overall restaurant productivity. On the other hand, sliding of a cut pizza from a pizza peel or paddle into a pizza box can also be problematic as it potentially disrupts the arrangement of cheese and toppings on the pizza, for example. In particular, sliding of the pizza may cause the toppings to slide to undesirably intermingle with each other or to entirely slide off of the pizza crust. In addition, the pieces of pizza may shift, destroying the uniform and aesthetically appealing arrangement of the individual slices of pizza within the pizza box.
Problems associated with transfer of pizza from the cutting table to the box are further exacerbated in instances in which multiple smaller pizzas, composite pizzas, or other multiple food products are desired to be placed within a single pizza box. In particular, due to the individual nature of the separate or composite pizzas, problems with shifting or sliding of toppings or of the smaller individual products themselves are amplified. Similar problems are also encountered with other food products.